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News at UI Health

Dr. Kristen Kenan Nominated for Humanism in Medicine Award

Monday, February 12, 2018

Dr. Kristen Kenan, a pediatrician at the Mile Square Health Center-Englewood location, was nominated for the national Humanism in Medicine Award. This award honors physicians who practice medicine compassionately while also remaining focused on a patient's life and experience beyond illness.

This recognition, presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, is awarded to individuals - nominated by their colleagues - for demonstrating outstanding medical student mentorship, community service, and compassionate care. (Dr. Kenan was the Chicago campus nominee for the award, which also considers physicians from the Peoria and Rockford campuses to represent the University of Illinois College of Medicine.)

From her nomination letter:

"Dr. Kenan has committed her career to serving underserved areas of Chicago, and does so in a way that not only lets her patients truly feel cared for but also empowers them to care for themselves. I can easily see her unique ideas and clinic set-up becoming the norm in any urban area, nationally or internationally. Despite extremely busy clinic schedules, she consistently gives each patient and their family incredible amounts of respect, compassion, and time. She is a leader in her field, working diligently to provide and destigmatize mental health services for low-income youth and their families who are, unfortunately, frequently exposed to trauma."

Dr. Kenan is a member of the medical team at the Mile Square Health Center, and is dedicated to providing quality healthcare to children from birth through young adulthood. Her current research includes building an integrative model for mental health in a pediatric medical home and youth violence prevention. "One thing I do love about Mile Square and its impact in the community is that it's located throughout the city. It's important that we have people with similar interests, similar backgrounds, that are working in that community because I just think it helps medicine work that much better," she says.

Congratulations to Dr. Keenan for this honor and recognition of her commitment to practicing compassionate, humanistic medicine.